Chapter Seventy-Eight: Take Action

Inside the small black house in the valley, the man had just finished reporting matters concerning the family. The old man sat with eyes closed, lost in deep thought. After a while, he suddenly spoke, “Have you found out anything about those two fasting-stage cultivators?”

“Ancestor, not yet! However, we’ve already interrogated Zhang San. We learned the young girl was found in Y City, F Province. We’ve sent people to investigate the area around Y City, and there should be news soon. Please rest assured!” The man replied with utmost confidence.

“Good. Press on with this investigation!” The old man gave his orders calmly, eyes still closed. With that matter settled, his thoughts turned to their secret plan. So many days had passed, yet the man hadn’t reported back even once. He wondered how things were progressing and asked, “How goes the plan at Changbai Mountain?”

The man answered firmly, “Everything is proceeding smoothly, exactly as we planned. Not a single mistake so far. Just as you predicted, the national security agent Long San is indeed involved. We’re just waiting for the latest updates.”

The old man chuckled, “Of course. Without the involvement of the security department, how could the three great families ever find compelling evidence? Hahaha!”

“That’s why, Ancestor, you foresaw everything, including all the people involved. You truly are wise beyond your years!” The man seized the moment to flatter him.

The old man was clearly in good spirits today, laughing as he scolded, “Enough with the flattery. Keep a close eye on this matter and don’t let anything go wrong. Make sure someone is watching Long San’s every move. Once it’s done, your rewards will be plentiful.”

“Rest assured, Ancestor. We have people close to Long San. We know all his movements!” The man answered seriously.

“No need to tell me these trivial details. I only want the results. Go now, and do your job well!” The old man waved his hand, dismissing him.

“Yes, Ancestor. I’ll take my leave now.” The man bowed respectfully and withdrew.

In Changbai Mountain, Long San had finished assigning tasks to Long Jiu and wandered alone among the surrounding peaks for an hour before coming to meet Zixuan and Tang Wei.

As he approached the spot where they had spoken earlier, he saw Zixuan and Tang Wei sitting at a stone table, sipping tea in leisurely contentment. Long San walked over, greeted them, and said, “Senior, I’ve come as promised. Have you found a solution?”

“You’re quite punctual! I told you to come in an hour, and you’re right on time. Not bad! Sit down,” Zixuan praised, gesturing to the stone stool opposite.

Long San replied respectfully, “I dare not disobey your instructions, Senior.”

“Alright, enough small talk. Let’s get to the point. Since you’re helping me search for someone, I won’t just stand by. Helping you is helping myself. But from the look of things, you haven’t got any clues yet, have you?” Zixuan probed.

Long San didn’t understand his intent and asked directly, “I truly have no leads. I’m not sure what you mean, Senior.”

“I’ll teach you a tracking technique. Go find the White-Browed Fiend for me, and notify me once you locate him. I’ll help you deal with him. How about it? Will you take the deal? Of course, if Yaya happens to be with him, the credit will be yours as well,” Zixuan said, ignoring Long San’s confusion.

“Senior, why…?” Long San was puzzled. Such a good opportunity—surely there must be some hidden agenda.

“You’re wondering why I don’t just do it myself, and why I want you to go instead, right? Afraid I’m scheming against you?” Zixuan saw through him and frankly asked.

This straightforwardness made Long San feel awkward. Was he judging a noble man with a petty mind? He hurriedly explained, “That’s not what I meant!”

“Alright, I don’t care what you meant. Will you learn it or not?” Zixuan pressed.

Long San pondered a moment and replied, “It’s an honor that you think highly of me, Senior. Of course I’m willing to learn!” Zixuan, unwilling to waste any more time, nodded and led Long San aside to teach him the true tracking technique.

Meanwhile, in Y City, F Province, many outsiders had suddenly appeared in recent days, all speaking standard Mandarin and asking everywhere about any unusual occurrences. Yet in the bustling city, few paid them any mind. In today’s society, even if a few red-haired, green-eyed strangers showed up, no one would bother with such matters. Life was busy; who had time to care about others when earning a living was the priority?

Tang Jing, the second daughter of the Tang family, had always been a competent housewife, quite unlike the strong-willed Tang Feng. She truly enjoyed the peaceful life at home. Though she cultivated along with the others, she was used to taking a vegetable basket to the market each morning, returning to busy herself for the family, and caring for her elders. Even now, though she spent more time at her relatives’ house and cooked less, her in-laws still needed meals. She kept up her routines.

After moving to this new neighborhood, she often went out to buy groceries, meeting other homemakers along the way. Gradually, these encounters led to familiarity and companionship, and she enjoyed going out shopping with them.

To avoid suspicion, Tang Wei Jing always carried a small bag when she went out, with all the necessary items neatly inside. Today, before leaving, she realized her wallet might be short on cash and decided to add a few bills for appearance’s sake. When she opened her bag, her wallet was missing. She searched everywhere but couldn’t find it. She wasn’t bothered—there wasn’t much in it anyway. She simply replaced it and went out as usual.

Normally, losing it wouldn’t matter; there wasn’t much to lose, and Tang Jing no longer cared about that little bit of money. But inside her wallet was a photo of five little ones together.

Now, the whole city was searching for Yaya and the whereabouts of Zixuan and Tang Wei, but with no clues, no matching names, and no leads, the agents sent in secret were utterly baffled, not knowing where to begin. This time, the leader divided the searchers into several groups, placing people in both the city and outskirts, as well as in nearby villages.

They couldn’t act openly, fearing to alert their targets, so they searched quietly. Zixuan and Tang Wei had erased their traces so thoroughly that after several days, the investigators had found nothing. Their superiors scolded them daily, and their tempers were flaring.

At that moment, a group of five assigned to this area arrived at the plaza, grumbling as they went. They divided the work and set out from five different directions.

The burly man walked to the entrance of the vegetable market, muttering under his breath with frustration, “Damn it, Skinny Monkey! Just because I didn’t slip you a red envelope, you had to make it this obvious, huh? Stuck me with this place—how am I supposed to find clues in a vegetable market? I was hoping to make a mark, but there’s no hope now! Damn it!” He vented his anger, giving a small stone at his feet a hard kick to relieve his pent-up frustration.